Little Witch Academia Episode 11 Review: Blue Moon

After weeks of hilarious shenanigans, character building, and different adventures, Episode 11 of Little Witch Academia finally has a definite plot! Hopefully, the show will focus on the plot more, since we’re almost at the second half, but while also still giving further insight on the setting and the characters! This is so exciting!

Japanese Original Episode Title: ブルームーン

Plot

Looks like Akko’s fangirling on Shiny Chariot hasn’t calmed down one bit, because she’s become even more intent on being like her! But her latest blunder during Professor Ursula’s after-school lessons made her desperate to know whether she’ll ever grasp her dream. I guess even the most spunky, determined girl would lose hope if she kept on failing at what she wants to do. So, on the night of a blue moon, she sets out for another place her Chariot Trading Cards have info on, the Blue Moon Abyss, to find someone who can answer the question she greatly needs to know.

Episode Highlights

Akko’s Magical Talent: I’m thrilled to say that that despite being a commoner, Akko can use magic! She’s really just having a harder time than normal because she didn’t grow up using it like the other witches. But lately I feel like she’s improving a lot in every episode! Sure, we don’t know the time gap between them, but just remember that she could barely get her wand working at the beginning! Eleven episodes later and she’s already moving multiple objects at once and putting them together – even though she had a tough time and they fell apart afterwards. Still, our amazing protagonist deserves to be commended! Surely her determination will never fail her!

History of the Witching World: Finally! My question back in Episode 5 has been answered, about how witches in other parts of the world could use magic if they don’t have the Sorcerer’s Stone. Looks like, just as nature deteriorated over time because of mankind’s carelessness, the power and capabilities of magic slowly dwindled over time because of the advancement of technology. Now, how does the Grand Triskelion fit into this? It’s said to have the power to change the world, but will it be a good thing or a bad thing? The Nine Olde Witches did seal it up inside Arcturus, which is also the name of the forest where the trio ended up in the first episode, and where Akko found the Shiny Rod. Interesting!

The Apparition’s Test: Nothing says ‘difficult’ than a test of motives! And it becomes harder when you’re currently down in the dumps or facing internal turmoil, which was what Akko was going through. It’s not even just for this episode. We’ve seen how frustrated she got when she failed to cast a spell, or when she was being compared to her classmates. But Akko opted to see those failures as a part of her and go through the whole journey in becoming the next Shiny Chariot! However, after she used the Shiny Rod to destroy the apparition, what were those sinister-looking split second images we saw? Could they be something of the past? And just who is Professor Woodward? She apparently knows something…

Professor Ursula: who’s actually the missing Shiny Chariot! Tadah! A lot of clues have been spread from the beginning, so I’m guessing most of us have seen this revelation coming from a mile away. Though, why did she suddenly disappear and go into hiding as a Professor at Luna Nova? Why didn’t she have the Shiny Rod anymore? A lot of mysteries have yet to be revealed, but for now, I can’t wait to see Akko’s reaction once she finds out that her idol has been the one mentoring her all this time!

Themes & Trivia

Experiences influencing our destiny: A lot of people wouldn’t hesitate to give up their past and present trials for an instantly better future, or to put it simply, get immediate results without working hard for it. However, the reason why a lot of successful people are at the top of their game now is because of their past experiences! These things influenced their character and their viewpoint in life, that’s why they were able to face the challenges that came their way, making them grow as a person, and eventually grab their dreams! So if you’re ever facing a difficult situation right now, don’t give up and follow Akko’s example!

Triskelion:Also called Triskele from the Greek word ‘triskeles’ meaning ‘three legs’, it’s an ancient Celtic symbol. This Triple Spiral has many different meanings: motion, or correlation between three different things like life-death-rebirth, past-present-future, etc. In today’s episode, this symbol is at the middle of the illustration that Diana and Professor Ursula were looking at.

Claíomh Solais: This is something that a lot of modern games have as one of their items because it’s a famous key object from some Irish and Scottish mythology. It goes by a number of names: ‘Sword of Light’, ‘Shining Sword’, or ‘a white glaive of light’. However, in Little Witch Academia, it’s seen as the Shiny Rod. I found it interesting to note that the tales usually have a giant as the sword’s keeper, who are often nearly impossible to beat except through the sword itself. Now, look back to Episode 1 when the Shiny Rod appeared in Arcturus Forest, where a giant cockatrice was also living. Nice parallel, right?

Comments

Personally, I think one of the best ways to tell a story is to have small adventures in between big events, but not without those small things affecting the story in a huge way. It’s exactly what they did with Little Witch Academia – the seemingly nonsensical episodic stories we’ve watched over the weeks ended up playing a huge role in this episode. Akko’s fluctuating hope, hints of Professor Ursula’s true identity, and even the passes at the history of witches and magic were all scattered in different episodes. Now, that’s storytelling!

Phaidoari Afairrynghor!

Now that we’ve got a plot in our hands, I wonder how it will all unfold. How will Akko know she has to unlock five more Words of Arcturus? What will happen after that? I say the hype just increased a whole lot, which is great since we’re halfway through the story!

Let me know what you think about all these events, and maybe even share some of your theories below! Don’t forget to read our other anime reviews for Winter 2017, too, as the season draws to a close!

You can also check our new Spring 2017 hashtag and pages list for a quick reference of all the titles that will air this season: